Jamie Takes A Holiday
by rhinosgirl
Summary: Do the Reagan men have time to reconnect on their family holiday before tragedy strikes? This story follows on from Jamie Needs A Holiday, but contains enough information to be read as a stand-alone. Jack, Sean, and the other family members feature heavily in later chapters.
1. Problems

**A/N: I am still working on DANNY"S LIST, because I am still receiving prompts =) But this story is way overdue to be posted. Please read and review!**

"Gotta go, sorry guys. See you tomorrow, leaving 8am?" Jamie was up and out the door before anybody could even answer him.

Henry sat back with a contented sigh. "What is with that boy?" he wondered. "He's got ants in his pants quite a lot lately."

"He got off the phone pretty quick when I went to pick him up at the precinct the other day," Danny reported, helping himself to seconds of Key Lime Pie (courtesy of Linda) and vanilla ice cream (courtesy of Frank).

"And he kept checking his phone under the table." Sean informed them, polishing off the last of his dessert.

"Something's up," was Erin's astute observation.

"Perhaps he's got a new girlfriend?" surmised Nicky, with an amused grin.

Maybe it's none of those, Frank thought, as he stood to clear the table.

Sensing something amiss, Danny followed him into the kitchen with an armful of dishes. "What's up?" he prodded, placing his load on the bench.

"He's been avoiding me since – " the older man stopped talking, but continued to scrape the dishes prior to washing.

"Since when?" Danny probed.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Frank hedged. His voice was measured, almost emotionless. That was what got his eldest child really concerned.

"What's 'nothing'?" Danny was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering his only surviving parent.

"Do you remember the night of The Showdown**? How he yelled at me and stormed out?" The memory of that night still disturbed Frank.

Danny thought back to that night. Due to Danny's own foolishness and selfishness, an incident had occurred earlier that week that had fractured his relationship with Jamie, nearly caused his brother to lose his job, and driven a wedge between Frank and his youngest son. That evening was supposed to mend some fences. Instead it had ended in a screaming match. "Not our finest hour, either of us. But that was weeks ago!" Danny comforted his father.

"And he's avoided being alone with me ever since." The moustached man's hurt was evident in both his tone and his eyes.

Jamie took a deep breath. He was looking forward to the family vacation starting the next day. Seven days at the beach was just what he needed after the turmoil of the last few weeks. He just hoped that the texts he had received during dinner wouldn't scupper his plans. He also prayed the rest of the Reagan clan would forgive his rudeness once the full story came out. He approached the cream wooden house and knocked on the mahogany-stained door.

"Sorry, Jamie," the pretty female occupant apologised, ushering him inside.

"Problem?" he queried, going through the carpeted hall to the opulently furnished living room. He stopped short when he spotted the man sitting uncomfortably on the leather sofa.

"Problem_**s**_," the other man emphasised. "I don't think you'll be going anywhere tomorrow."

**see "Jamie Needs A Holiday" Chapter 11


	2. Preparations

**Disclaimer that should have preceded Ch1 (Sorry for the oversight!): All publicly recognisable characters and settings belong to Someone In America. Anything verifiable belongs to Whoever, Whatever, or Wherever verifies them. Everything else belongs to me.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, follow and favourites Big Hugs! **

It was already past 8am in the morning. At Frank Reagan's house everyone was present and accounted for, except one. Nicky was keeping her fast-becoming-fed-up-with-still-not-being-on-holiday cousins, Jack and Sean, entertained. Henry was reading the newspaper. Frank was catching up on some last-minute paperwork. Erin was doing her best to stop her older brother, Danny, from blowing his top. Linda was talking on her mobile phone.

"That was Jamie. He says to go on without him. He will join us when he can." Linda came back into the room and informed the group.

"What do you mean "when he can"? Where is he?" Danny was incensed. They were already running late. The cars were packed, the kids rearing to go, and the fish were waiting.

"I don't know. "When he can" means "when he can." He's a big boy, he'll figure it out." Linda picked up her handbag and moved to the door. "Let's go."

"Wait a sec. Where is he? I'll go get him." After the events of the last few weeks, there were nerves still frayed and fences still broken. Jamie and his family needed to relax and reconnect with each other. Therefore, Danny was determined that his younger brother would be with them on this holiday.

"You most certainly will not!" Frank broke in, still convinced that his youngest offspring was avoiding him, and not wishing their precious family time marred with quarrels or sulking. Better to let Jamie arrive in his own good time and on his own terms, than to drag him along kicking and screaming to somewhere he obviously didn't want to be. "Let's go." He glared at Danny while clearing up the last of his papers, daring him to argue.

"All right," Danny conceded. "Let's go, guys. Uncle Jamie's going to meet us there."

"Yay!" "Cool!" "Finally!" were the various responses as hand luggage was collected, doors were locked, and people piled into the two cars – Nicky, Jack, Sean, Henry, and Frank in Erin's smaller two-door car, Danny, Linda, Erin and all the luggage in Linda's far more spacious station wagon.

* * *

Jamie ran his hand through his hair and pasted a confident smile on his face as he entered the small seminar room, the only one available for today's gathering. The meeting had not been able to be held at the same house he had visited the night before, so they had decided to reconvene at work. He was still hoping the couple were mistaken and that he could, indeed, join his family later on that day. This was looking increasingly unlikely however. Upon his arrival he found the woman had been joined by another woman, and there were four men, not one, meaning two people had multiplied into six. He just hoped their problems hadn't increased threefold as well. He sunk down into the only chair left on offer. Unfortunately, it was also the least comfortable!

"Okay, Officer Reagan. Now that you are here we can start." One of the new arrivals spoke.

"How bad is it?" the young cop inquired.

"Let's start at the beginning," another suggested.

Jamie gulped.

* * *

It had been a unanimous decision by Car One (Frank, Henry, and the children) to follow the coastal route. The change in scenery from roads and buildings to water and sand fuelled young minds so they didn't miss Jamie at all on the 2 ½ hour ride over to Quogue. The kids, because they were too busy plotting their next school-less week. Frank and Henry, because they were too busy putting the kibosh on the most dangerous of those schemes - mostly suggested by Sean, by far the most adventurous of the newest Reagan generation.

"No, Sean, you can't dive-bomb off the pier." That was Henry's input.

"No, Sean, we are not going to cook puffer fish on the barbecue." Frank shuddered internally.

"But Grandpa, my teacher said they were fine if they were cooked properly!"

"I think it'd take more than a barbecue," Jack put in.

"Camp fire?" Sean was unwillingly let go of his 'brilliant idea' just yet.

"How about we stop for ice cream instead?" Frank was relieved to see a dairy up ahead that they all knew served the most ginormous creamy treats in the whole of New York State.

* * *

Jamie's natural 'eternally optimistic' nature was once again failing him. The list of hindrances to his work-free paid leave was indeed lengthy. He was supposed to be on his way to the beach. He should be in the back of Linda's car with Danny, driving the girls – sorry, _women _(he could just hear Erin's voice if he dared refer to them as 'girls') – crazy with deliberately-extremely-tuneless duets of '99 Bottles Of Beer' "The Horse Song' or some other repetitive ditty designed to drive it's listeners insane. Instead he was filling out forms, flicking through folders of photos, listening to and writing down statements, giving his own, listening to mindless arguments and getting antsier by the minute.

"Officer Reagan?" A voice cut into his thoughts and brought him back to the task at hand.

"This one." He pointed to a photo.

"Are you sure?" The woman sounded doubtful.

"Definitely." Jamie was adamant.

"Okay. That means you are one step closer to leaving." For the first time in hours, Jamie grinned, and returned to his tasks with renewed vigour.

* * *

In Car Two (the rest of the adults), Danny was determined to make Jamie the subject of discussion for the whole journey.

"I thought he had said he would definitely come. I thought we were getting over – everything." He hit the dashboard in frustration. Beside him, Linda swerved the steering wheel in fright at the unexpected noise, almost broadsiding a truck.

"Danny!" Erin remonstrated after she'd got her breath back. "You heard Linda. Jamie will come when he can. So just accept it and shut up already!"

Danny opened his mouth to defend himself, but quickly closed it when he caught both his wife and his sister eyeing him in the rear-vision mirror.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Thankfully for his longsuffering passengers, they had settled on taking the shortest route to Quogue. After Erin got a text from Nicky informing them of Car One's plans, the trio had agreed to head straight for the accommodation to unpack their vehicle and set up their houses. Hopefully, that would give them about an hour to organise as much as they could before the chaos unfolded. Little did they know that the arrival of their children would only be start of their chaos.


	3. Mending Fences?

**A/N: WOW! ****The review response to this story has been phenomenal! Long may it continue! Thanks to ****Ealasaid Una ****for pointing out my mistake to me. It has been corrected.**

Jamie jumped up and opened the curtains, eager to enjoy the seaside sunrise. He had spent the majority of his first two vacation days ironing out as many of the problems he'd been presented with as he could. Eventually, just after noon on Day Two, after having been awake for more 24 hours, he went home, took a short nap so he wouldn't arrive in Quogue exhausted, grabbed a protein bar for 'lunch', and hit the road. He'd finally managed to join his family late in the afternoon. They'd spent an enjoyable evening plotting the week's activities, intertwined with cooking and eating. Now Jamie was outside, sipping coffee, impatiently waiting for the rest of the clan to wake up and be ready to join him in those pastimes planned for today.

"Morning!" he jogged over the adjoining property to join Danny and the boys, who had appeared with a football.

"Uncle Jamie!" chorused the boys. "Catch!" Jamie reacted quickly, perfectly cradling the ball in the crook of his elbows.

"Nice!" Danny lauded. "Sitting on your butt the last couple of days obviously hasn't done you any harm at all."

Jamie winced. He would be glad when the truth could come out, he really would.

It wasn't long before the rest of the family joined them for breakfast, and firmed up their itinerary.

"Dad, can I come with you, ple-ee-aaase?" Jack whined.

"Not this time, Champ," his father said. "Got one planned for later in the week, remember?"

Jack nodded. "Adult males today, all males next time."

XX XX XX XX XX XX

Accordingly, Frank, Danny and Jamie packed their gear (including lunch that Jamie and Henry had prepared the night before) into the smaller car and Frank drove them the ten minutes to the marina. They loaded up the boat they had been given use of for the week, boarded, and headed out for a spot of offshore fishing.

It didn't take long for Danny to address the elephant in the room, and he was nothing if not direct. "So where have you been the last couple of days?" he interrogated his younger brother.

"Somewhere between here and California," came the swift reply.

"What were you doing?" the older sibling pressed.

"Eating, breathing, walking, talking," Jamie listed whatever he could think of without giving his secret away.

Frank looked up inquiringly. "No sleeping?"

"Pfft!" Jamie snorted. "Sleep? Don't know the meaning of the word." He meant it as a joke, but quickly realised his family was taking him seriously.

"Are you still having nightmares and insomnia?" Frank was surprised. He thought his youngest was recovering well from the horrors of his recent past, and his sleeplessness was a thing of the past.

"Not for a while," Jamie turned to adjust his fishing rod, a secondary advantage being he eluded eye contact with his family members.

Danny saw the pain in his father's eyes at his brother's turned back. He sucked in his breath and prepared to let rip.

XX XX XX XX XX XX

Meanwhile Linda, Erin, and the children prepared for a morning of collecting clams in the shallow waters of a nearby bay.

"Got everything we need?" Linda prompted her boys.

"Change of clothes, bucket, trowel, sneakers, towel and gloves." Jack catalogued the items he knew he and his brother needed. "Have we missed anything?"

"Sunscreen, water, nibbles and extra towels," Erin verified what was in her bag.

"And we have rakes and spades for the deeper stuff," Nicky indicated her load as being identical to Linda's.

"So let's go, already!" shouted Sean, bored of all the formalities.

It was only a short walk (or, in the boy's case, run, jog, hop, skip and jump) to their destination. The sandy beach was behind a secluded grassy bay only minutes from the edge of town where their houses were situated. There were picnic tables, toilets, and fully grown trees for shelter. As a bonus, the tide was out, exposing the wet sand prime for digging clams.

"Whew! I'm exhausted!" Sean dramatically threw himself down, panting like a dog. Erin laughed and passed him a water bottle.

"You're such a baby!" Jack sneered in derision.

Sean looked up at his brother in disbelief. The next minute he was hurtling across the grass as fast as his legs could carry him.

XX XX XX XX XX XX

At almost the exact same time Jack was insulting Sean, Danny was getting ready to tear into his brother for the way Jamie was treating Frank.

"Don't you dare – " Danny left his fishing rod and advanced on his brother, no mean feat in the rolling waves.

Frank also left his post. He moved to stand between his irate eldest son and his non-communicative youngest one.

"Danny! Leave him alone!" he ordered.

"No! You need to . . . He has to . . . How's he going to – " Danny sputtered to a stop under Frank's unwavering glare, and returned to his former spot. "How's he going to know you think he's still angry with you for doing you-have-no-idea-what during The Showdown**, if you don't tell him?" He muttered this rhetorical question to Frank, but all three men could plainly see that Jamie overheard him. The clenched jaw, the rigid back, and the tightened fists, clearly showed the amount of discomfort the remark had caused.

Jamie bit his lip so hard it almost bled. How was he going to handle this? He knew he and his father had a strained relationship. He knew it seemed he had been shunning the man for an inordinate amount of time. He just didn't know how to reassure his Dad that there was nothing to fear, that they were okay, without letting the cat out of the bag.

"I'm not avoiding you, Dad," he articulated softly but strongly. "I just can't tell you what is going on, not yet, anyway. Please, believe me, it's not your fault."

"I believe you," Frank asserted.

"Thanks." Jamie visibly relaxed.

Henry and Danny recognised the subject was resolved – for now, anyway.

XX XX XX XX XX XX

"Jack Reagan!" Linda chastised her older son. "You go and apologise, right now!"

Jack looked confusedly between his mother and his brother, who was rapidly disappearing into the distance. He'd been only teasing. He'd done it in the past, and Sean had never reacted so vehemently before. He took off after the other boy, determined to make amends.

By the time Linda, Erin and Nicky had neared they boys, the warring duo were perched side-by-side on the rocks. Jack was gently rubbing the back of his partner-in-crime, who was obviously still upset. Linda opened her mouth to urge the boys back on to dry land, when disaster struck.

BOOM! CRASH! WHOOSH!

A rogue wave engulfed the rocks where the lads had been sitting. When it receded, the boys had vanished.

**See "Jamie Needs A Holiday" Chapter 10


	4. Lost

**A/N: There has been a spate of new favourites/followers to this story, so it is my great pleasure to get the boys either rescued or killed off dastardly grin**

**Some of you have asked about The Showdown that both Frank and Danny have mentioned. This is a reference to Chapter 10 of "Jamie Needs A Holiday" and all references in this story have been (and will be) footnoted as such. For those of you who have already read "Jamie Need A Holiday", the ending of the last chapter has been rewritten =) I think it is much better, so thanks to those reviewers who helped me rack my brains for a more fitting conclusion. You rock!**

"JACK! SEAN!" Linda screamed her precious boys' names as she clambered over the wet and slippery rocks in search of the lost lads, with Nicky following close behind. Linda's mind was a tornado of haemorrhaging thoughts. Her boys were missing. Her boys were fully clothed. Sean couldn't swim. Could Jack hold him? Would Jack even find him? What if they were unconscious? She'd been the one to insist they wrap up warm against the sea breeze – jeans, singlet, t-shirt, jacket, sneakers and socks. What if something had ripped and snagged on something and was holding one of them under? This thought spurred the panic-stricken mother on. She waded into the shallow water, hoping to feel something against her legs, see something in the water, hear something over waves. But all she felt was water, all she saw was water, all she heard was water.

Behind them Erin was quickly on her phone. "Police."

XX XX XX XX XX

More than a mile offshore, Frank's assertion had brought about an uneasy truce between his sons. Danny was still bound and determined to force the truth from his brother, but decided to defer the interrogation until they were out from under their father's gaze.

All four fishermen slowly returned to their posts.

"Do you reckon Linda can hear us from here?" Danny wondered.

"I beg your pardon?" Henry was slightly perplexed at his grandson's choice of topic. Frank and Jamie just raised their eyebrows. They were well versed in the art of staying silent while fishing, Henry and Danny, not so much. So it was no surprise that the eldest of Frank's sons was the instigator of all the conversation onboard the boat.

"She said anybody who talked shop would be kicked of the island. But if we talk shop out here, she won't hear us, right?" Danny sounded unsure of his plan.

Frank smiled to himself. Danny's devious mind was an asset on the job, there was no doubt. But it could be a problem in civilian life, and the detective needed to be reminded of that every so often. "And if she asks what we talked about?"

"Hey, Pop," Danny turned to his grandfather, "How about them Jets?"

Jamie listened carefully, then looked up into the sky. "That isn't a jet, it's a rescue chopper, and it looks like it's swooping this area."

Frank immediately moved to flip on the marine radio, and tuned into the Coastguard frequency. "Maybe we can help."

XX XX XX XX XX

With the arrival of the police, rescue personnel and ambulance, an extremely sodden and hysterical Linda was finally persuaded to leave the water.

"Mrs Reagan, you and your daughter – "

"My niece," Linda interrupted. "I've only got boys. They're missing. My boys have gone!" she wailed.

"Okay," the cop soothed. "You and your niece, you need to get checked out by the paramedics to make sure you are both unhurt. When that is done, we will talk further about how you can help find your children." An ambulance attendant gently led Linda and a distressed Nicky to a waiting ambulance. A quick examination revealed they were cold and in shock, but otherwise uninjured. They were quickly joined by Erin and a rescue co-ordinator.

"Linda," Erin waited until her sister-in-law looked at her before continuing. "I've given over photos of Jack and Sean, and a general description. We just need to confirm with you what they were wearing and any medical conditions so a Coastguard alert can be issued." Erin was holding herself together by the thinnest of threads. Only the devastation on the faces in front of her kept her in check, knowing that her lucidity was her nephews' best chance at survival. She squeezed Linda's and Nicky's hands reassuringly. This seemed to bring Linda out of her stupor, and she answered all the questions put to her – what the boys were wearing, their medical conditions, what led up to the accident, the event itself, and its aftermath.

"Is there anybody we can call for you?" the offer from the volunteer, who had replaced the co-ordinator, brought a fresh flood of tears to Linda's eyes. "Danny!" she moaned brokenly. Straight away Erin recognised her dilemma. If a Coastguard alert was issued, Danny would hear about his children going missing over the radio. Yet it was the best option for finding the missing boys. She quickly explained the situation to the volunteer, who immediately apprised the co-ordinator of the issue. A whispered conversation saw Linda. Erin, and Nicky come to the same conclusion: "Make the announcement."

XX XX XX XX XX

Frank tuned the radio to the Coastguard station just in time to hear second broadcast. "I repeat, all vessels in the Penniman Creek/Penniman Cove area be on the lookout for two young males swept off the rocks at . . . " As the family members listen in horrified silence, Jamie hastily stowed all the gear and pulled up the anchor. Frank started the engine and revved it to full throttle, skilfully and quickly turning the boat back toward the marina. Eventually, Danny voiced the thought that nobody wanted to. "That's where they were spending the day. That's what my boys were wearing. I've got to phone Linda. Where's my phone?" He fumbled in his pocket, but in his torment of not knowing, his cellphone slipped through his fingers and landed in a puddle of salt water. When he picked it up it was useless.

"Stupid thing, it's dead. Dead," he repeated. "Not my boys. NOOOOOO!" he screamed, throwing the offending object into the ocean. Henry realised the signs of a panic attack, and swiftly moved to comfort his eldest grandson.

"Danny, look at me," he urged. When the younger man met his eyes, he went on. "We don't know anything yet. Take some deep breaths. That's right, and again. Good. We are going to get back to them as soon as possible and take things from there. No use borrowing trouble, right?"

XX XX XX XX XX

Soon enough, though, they realised they were not borrowing trouble at all.

"DANNY!" Erin ran straight to her brother, but stopped short. She had to hold it together.

"What happened?" he demanded, gripping her upper arm fiercely. The next half hour was a confusing flurry of explanations, introductions, and bringing everyone up-to-date on the search.

When things had settled down, Jamie realised Linda was alone by the rocks that took her children, and Danny had yet to speak to her.

"Danny, you need to talk to Linda," he said, softly but firmly.

"And say what?" the terrified husband spat.

"I'm not sure, but I do know Linda needs her husband, not a judge, and when Jack and Sean get back they are going to need two parents, not two automatons who are avoiding each other." He pushed his brother toward the rocks, and Danny took the hint.

Frank came along and squeezed his youngest son's shoulder. "I was wondering how I'd get those two talking, but I see you've weaved your Jamie-magic once again. Thanks."

"How are you holding up?" Jamie searched his father's eyes.

"I'm okay," Frank assured him." I just wish that there was something we could do. We can't leave the area because of the spotty cell coverage. The further away from here we go, the more inconsistent it gets. I don't know –"

"I do!" Jamie brightened. "Thanks, Dad!" He ran off toward Danny and Linda, spoke earnestly to them, and then the three of them left.

Beep! Beep! A couple of minutes later, Frank received a text. "Gone back 2 the house 2 grab a coupla hospital bags for boys. Contact me if any news. J x"

Within the hour, Frank had reason to make that call. "Hi, Son . . ."

**A/N: I'm sorry! I had no intention of leaving the chapter here, but it just got too long to post in one sitting.**


	5. Found

**A/N: Thank you for being so patient with me. As a person with a disability, I rely on support people to visit me regularly to help me continue to live independently. I recently decided to change from agency workers to employing my own staff. It is a lot more stressful than I imagined sad face but, hopefully, it will be worth it in the end (x fingers!)**

The climate at the marina was one of organised chaos. Cops, firefighters, rescue volunteers and paramedics all intermingled, preparing themselves for the arrival of their patients. Some were there in an official capacity, readying fire hoses, preparing oxygen masks and other life-saving equipment, or directing the crowd. Others were there in an unofficial capacity, either because there were already there when the rescue squad arrived and simply wanted to know what was going on, or because they had been searching all afternoon and needed to see for themselves that the boys were alive.

The microclimate over the Reagans was one of tension and fear. Frank, Erin and Nicky had arrived first, having come with the rescue co-ordinator as soon as the call had come in.

Danny thought back to that call. Jamie had persuaded him and Linda to return to the house to collect some belongings that the boys would need once they were rescued. In reality, Danny knew that they were just being kept busy so they would go less insane while they waited for news. News that was a long time in coming.

_****FLASHBACK****_

Danny bolted from the car as soon as they reached the house. Linda stared dejectedly at his retreating back, feeling like she'd lost her whole family on that wave. Jamie climbed out of the car, alternately cursing his older brother's apparent coldness, and sympathising with him because knew how the older man ticked.

"C'mon," he gently led Linda through to the bedroom the boys were sharing. In the distance, they heard water running.

"He can't stand to be anywhere near me," Linda's tone faltered. "He's taking a shower, for goodness' sake!"

"Go join him, if you want," Jamie offered. Linda glared at him, horrified that he'd think of something like that at a time like this. "You guys need to spend some time together, processing what's happened, and pulling yourselves back together as a team before your boys get back. Go talk to Danny. I'll finish up here." As Linda left, Jamie finally interpreted the glare correctly. Despite the horrendous situation, Jamie chuckled. 'Oh well, I'll sort it out later.' He worked in silence gathering supplies in anticipation of a successful outcome. By the time he had loaded the car, the older couple had reappeared. Since they were clutching each other's hands, it seemed some small progress had been made.

"Coffee?" Jamie invited, passing them each a steaming cup.

Sipping the comforting liquid, each lost in their own thoughts, they were rudely pulled back to reality when Jamie's phone rang.

"Hi, Dad . . . Okay, sure, see you soon." Jamie clicked his phone off. "Let's go!" He ran for the door, then realised nobody was following him. He turned around and meet two pairs of round, terrified eyes. "Two boys have been found a couple of miles offshore. They are being brought to the marina by the Coastguard now!" he exclaimed with a hugely relieved grin, as he shooed them out with his arm.

_****FLASHBACK****_

"DADDY!" The sight and sound of his oldest son fighting like a rabid dog to get to him broke Danny out of his reverie. It was them! All doubt slipped away as he sprinted toward the distraught boy. Luckily, the EMT realised the lad would settle quickest in the arms of a loving family member, so she let him go. Father and son collided with enough force to send Danny to his knees, fat, wet, tears coursing down his drawn face.

"My precious boy, my darling son," Danny soothed, running his hands over the boy's body to convince himself Jack was unharmed, even though he knew, logically, the paramedic wouldn't have intentionally let an injured patient run away from her. "It's okay now. Daddy's here. Nothing's going to harm you now." Finally the pair calmed down to actually look at each other.

"Daddy." The word came out as a breath, as if Jack couldn't believe he was safe.

"Hi, Bud." The relieved father's smile horizontally split his face in half.

"Where's Mum?" The sodden boy asked.

"Not sure," Danny replied unthinkingly.

"But she was in the water!" Jack exclaimed, writhing to escape from his Dad's arms. He furiously whipped his head back and forth, searching for his missing parent. All he saw was his Uncle Jamie.

"She's safe," he mussed the boy's hair, seeking to assuage his fears. "You go with Dad and get yourself properly checked out, and I'll go find her."

"Promise?" the child whispered tiredly.

"Pinky swear." Jamie held out said digit, which was clasped by his nephew like a lifeline back to normality.

But there was no need to search for the missing mother. As soon as they rounded the back of the ambulance, the trio found Linda sitting on a stretcher holding an exhausted Sean close to her heart, his wan face swamped by a hissing oxygen mask. They were flanked by Frank, Erin and Nicky, the latter now dry and calm. The youngest Reagan could not even summon the energy to acknowledge the newcomers, his Dad and Uncle. Wordlessly, Danny plopped down beside Linda. He threw his arms around his family, and for the first time in an interminable eternity, the clan was reunited.


	6. Playing Games

**A/N: Thankyou for all the positive reviews I am getting. Please keep them coming! **

**Thank goodness the boys are still alive. I was worried about them for a while. LOL**

"Ooowww!" Jack protested. "Stop poking me!" He pushed Sean off the two-seater sofa where they were sitting, supposedly watching Kenan & Kel under the close supervision of their loving relatives.

The boys seemed to be recovering well from their ordeal. They had been treated at the small local hospital for minor injuries and released that same evening. The only warning their parents had received was to look out for symptoms of secondary drowning, something Linda knew all about from her work as an Emergency Nurse. Jack and Sean had survived the following two nights unscathed, however - despite being constantly woken up when one, or sometimes both, of their still-badly-shaken parents came to check on them.

Now, nearly 48 hours later, they were extremely restless. As per doctor's orders, Linda had not allowed them to engage in any heavy physical exercise during that time. In fact, the family were under strict orders not to let them do anything more strenuous than roll a dice or lift a knife and fork. A rebellion was inevitable.

"Muuuum!" Sean whined from his position on the floor, where he was rubbing his elbow, now smarting from carpet burn. "Can we at least go outside, pleeaaase?"

"No." Linda flatly denied her son's entreaty and retreated through the kitchen door to prepare lunch. Danny followed her. To their surprise, Jamie was sitting at the small glass dining table, chatting on his mobile phone. As soon as he spotted them, he hastily ended the call, but not before Danny's sharp detective ears heard him say, "You owe me, big time!" Sensing tension in the air, the youngest of Frank Reagan's children stayed where he was, ready to smooth ruffled feathers as the need arose.

Opening a loaf of white bread and spreading some slices on the table, Danny picked up a butter knife and steeled himself to broach the delicate subject with his wife. "Linda, I think it's time to let them leave the house."

"No." Linda reiterated her disapproval of the suggestion. "There's no way to keep them quiet outside and it hasn't been 72 hours yet."

"The doc said '_up to_ 72 hours' and the boys need to run off some energy before they explode," Danny gently argued, passing buttered bread over to be topped with the chilled meat, cheese and salad ingredients Linda had removed from the fridge.

"What do you think?" Linda turned to her younger brother-in-law, who was silently wishing he wouldn't be drawn into the discussion. No such luck!

"Danny's right," Jamie instantly concurred with his sibling.

Simultaneously feeling ganged up on and trusting the two men standing before her, Linda gave in without even a pretence of struggle. "Lunch outside it is, then."

Her husband set his shoulders for a battle of apocalyptic proportions. "We think the boys need to return to the beach." He imperceptibly raised his brow at his brother, 'Stick by me' being the unspoken request. Jamie gave a faint, almost unnoticeable nod back 'Yes'.

"WHAAAAT?" Linda instantly lowered her voice, hoping she hadn't attracted the attention of the family members entertaining her progeny in the other room. When there was no audible response, she angrily hissed, "Are you nuts? Do you want them to get sick?"

Of course not," Danny placated her. "I also don't want them growing up hiding from everything that scares them."

Deep down, Linda knew her husband was right. She sighed, "What's the plan?"

XX XX XX XX XX XX

"3-a-side, 2 subs and a ref." Jack had counted the number of people and proposed what he felt was the fairest composition of players for the soccer game.

"I don't know about that," Henry replied, shaking out his deck chair, and settling in for an enjoyable afternoon. "How about 3-a-side, 2 subs, and a cheerleader?"

"But you don't have any pompoms!" Sean pointed out. Everyone burst out laughing at the thought of their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather in a cheerleader's uniform.

After a delicious lunch, the family had packed up and left for another attempt at an outing to the beach; Linda drove Henry and her sons (much to their disgust – they only acquiesced when Linda threatened to drag them back inside) in her car, and the others walked to the end of the beach farthest from the rocks where the boys had so nearly lost their lives.

To forestall yet another quarrel, Frank flipped a coin to decide which captain selected first for his team. Heads came up trumps, so Sean picked before Jack. Taking turn about, the two opposing squads soon lined up – Sean, Danny, Erin and Nicky on one side, and Jack, Jamie, Linda, and Frank on the other. Because Linda had only agreed to the excursion on the proviso that there was always one adult and one of her boys off the field so the youngsters could be closely observed at all times, Danny and Jack subbed out first.

Just short of ten minutes into the game, Danny turned from his conversation with Henry. "Jack, it's nearly time to – hey, Bud, are you okay?" he inquired urgently, searching his older son's features for rapid, shallow breathing, a signal of respiratory distress, a tell-tale sign of the dreaded Secondary Drowning.

A pale-faced Jack stood as still as a statue, and just kept on staring wide-eyed and unseeing out to the still, flat ocean.

"You feeling okay?" Danny repeated, gently shaking his son's shoulder.

Eventually, unmoving, Jack spoke. "It looks so calm and soft, doesn't it? But it's not. It's sharp knives, and ice cubes, and bookshelves falling on top of you; it's a salty, stingy, midnight all around you - and it's all my fault!" he declared forcefully.

Danny enveloped his sobbing, trembling child in a safe and warm embrace, grateful the boy was, at long last, talking about his harrowing experience.

"How is it all your fault?" he prodded, eager to absolve the distraught lad of as much guilt as he could.

"I was mad that I couldn't go fishing with you so I started teasing Sean. If I hadn't teased him . . . " Jack's young voice trailed off as he thought of how different the day would have turned out.

"And if I hadn't said you couldn't go . . . and if Mummy hadn't organised the holiday . . . and if Sean hadn't run away . . . and if Aunt Erin hadn't suggested going crabbing . . . you see, Son, anybody could find blame for themselves for what happened. But the truth is, it was merely a horrid accident. I'm just glad you and Sean are still alive!" The relieved father squeezed Jack tight to his chest.

"Mmmpph!" Jack's voice was muffled against Danny's fleecy jacket. "I won't be if you smother me!" He pulled back, and Danny was thankful to see a gleam of humour in his eyes. "Let's beat 'em!"

There followed a peaceful interlude of family bonding; good-natured insults, friendly banter, harmless pushing and shoving, and congratulatory plaudits when goals were scored. The boys rested regularly, and exhibited no negative after-effects of their brush with death, so Linda relented and let them play together.

"Sub!" Jamie called out breathlessly. "Bathroom break!"

"Okay!" agreed Frank, leaving his chat with Henry to rejoin the soccer game.

Having attended to his business, Jamie wandered back toward the group. Watching the boys running and laughing, Jamie stilled. Slowly and gently he lowered himself onto the freshly mown grass. He put his head to his knees, wrapped his hands around his shins, and let the tears flow. Then he felt a comforting presence shroud him – two warm arms encircled him, two knees pressed against his legs, and a forehead buried in his hair.

"I wondered when this would happen," Danny murmured. "You've done so many things these last few days: convincing me to talk to Linda, keeping us occupied, driving us to the marina and the hospital, buying dinner for all of us, staying with the boys all night so we could sleep, saying nothing when we didn't. Then yesterday, you cleaned the boat, and went shopping, and still found time to babysit. Not to mention backing me on this." Danny waved his hands at the energetic competition. "I'd never have persuaded Linda without it." Whilst he was speaking, he let his presence comfort his brother like he knew little else would. "And all the while, nary a word on how you were feeling. Yep, I'd say this is long overdue."

His emotions finally under control, Jamie straightened up and offered Danny a tremulous smile. "You're welcome, and thanks."

Danny shrugged. "No problem. Shall we get back to it?" He went to stand up, but his brother stopped him.

"Actually, there's something I need to ask your opinion on," Jamie hesitated, unsure if he might be overstepping his bounds.

"The phone call?" Danny queried, remembering the puzzling scene he and Linda had encountered in the kitchen earlier.

Jamie ignored the implied enquiry. "Remember what you said about not hiding? I think we need to go over there" he waved his hand in the general direction of the rocks that had very nearly deprived him of his beloved nephews forever "and face it together as a family."

Danny snorted. "I know. Good luck in convincing Linda and Erin, though."

"Paper, Scissors, Rock – the winner choses who they tell." Jamie offered Danny his fist. "Best of three."

Danny agreed, and lost – which is how Danny found himself subbing on for Erin so Jamie could win her over to the plan. Then Jamie and Erin subbed on for Danny and his wife.

"What's going on?" the blonde woman wasn't stupid. She'd glimpsed the brothers tete-a-tete, and the whispered conversation between Erin and Jamie.

"Walk with me?" Danny invited. "We need to talk."

**A/N: Because I acknowledge that my writing is far from perfect, I love to receive reviews that include suggestions for improvement =) Talking of which, do you like this longer chapter, or the shorter ones?**


	7. Recovery

**A/N: Since today is Mother's Day, I have completely rewritten this chapter to focus on Erin and Linda and their children. Enjoy!**

Nicky volunteered to load the car. The truth was, she needed a moment alone to compose herself before joining the family on their trek to the last place on earth Nicky wanted to visit right now - The Rocks. As she hoisted the large red bag full of sports equipment into the trunk of the car, something sloshed and a cascade of liquid ran down her leg. She jumped six feet into the air, dropped the bag, and screamed like a banshee. At least, that's what happened in her head. In reality, she just rocked back on her heels and let out a startled squeak barely loud enough to register as a whisper, let alone a scream. Breathe, she told herself sternly as she opened the clothes bag (thank goodness for mothers who could predict the future!) and pulled out a towel.  
"Everything okay here?" Her mother's concerned voice coming from behind her gave her her second heart attack in as many minutes.  
"I'm fine," she said vehemently, hoping it would convince both of them, wiping her leg vigorously. "Some idiot left a bottle of water in the sports bag and it spilled everywhere. Probably ruined the bats, too! It might take me a while to clean up. Why don't you go on ahead with the others and I'll catch up."  
Nicky was relieved when Erin took the hint and left her to complete her task. But her relief was short-lived when her mother returned after barely two minutes away.  
"Okay, what's really going on?" Erin demanded.

"Nothing!" Nicky protested, her head buried in the trunk, so she could avoid looking at her accuser.

"Bull!" Erin shot back. "By the way, that idiot was me, and you need a shower."

Nicky's head shot up so fast she banged her head on the lid of the trunk.

"Are you saying I stink?" she demanded.

"No, I'm saying I know the difference between the sound of water hitting skin and water hitting the shower floor. These last two mornings you've run the shower without actually getting in it. What gives?" Erin softened her tone, but still demanded an answer.

"You've been listening in on me in the shower!?" Nicky's glare could have fried eggs.

"You're dodging the question." Erin brought the conversation back on track.

Nicky took a deep breath; time to come clean, she thought. "I know I'm over-reacting," she said. "I just can't imagine my life without them, and being under the shower makes me imagine what it must have been like for them."

"Have you talked to them, asked them what it was like?" Erin prodded.

"Mum! Seriously. They're – "

"I know," Erin broke in. "But they have to talk about it to get it out of their systems, too, and if it helps you in the process, all the better." She pulled Nicky up to standing and forced her independent teen to look her in the eye. "At least think about it?"

Seeing the concern in Erin's face, Nicky threw her arms around her mother. "I will, I promise."

XX XX XX XX XX XX

Sean was determined to be brave. The whole family were going to visit the site of the accident, and he wasn't going to give them anything to worry about by causing a scene. He wasn't going to cry, even though he felt like all the water he had swallowed was pushing at his eyes, trying to find a way out. He wasn't going to throw up, even though there was an elephant kicking his stomach from the inside. He wasn't going to fall down, even though his legs felt as weak as twigs in a tornado. No, he would just keep walking, following his family, one step at a time. But there was one person who wasn't fooled.  
"Scary, huh?" The gentle voice of his mother interrupted his thoughts. And just in time - for all his good intentions, Sean was on the verge of losing his lunch.  
But he squared his shoulders and gave Mommy a wide smile. "I'm okay," he reassured her, hoping she would believe his lie.  
"Then you're doing better than me," was the astonishing reply he received. Sean looked at her in bewilderment. She was an adult, she wasn't supposed to stay scared. Staying scared was for sissies and his Mom wasn't a sissy. Or was she? Was that what she was saying? Surely not! She couldn't be. She was his Mom.  
"Its scary remembering what happened, the sights, the sounds the smells, or worse still, there being none of those. Even worse, I think, is thinking about what might happen the next time you sit on a rock by the water, or go swimming in the sea, or play on the beach. That's why Daddy and Uncle Jamie thought we should come over here." By this time they had reached the rocky outcrop that had nearly caused a horrendous tragedy. Jack was already there. Linda stood behind both her boys and laid her hands on their shoulders. "We need to see for ourselves that there is nothing to be scared of, and work out ways of making sure it won't happen next time we come here." As she said this, the young mother felt the involuntary shivers that passed through her sons' bodies. This, she thought, this is why we had to do this; and, not for the first time in her life, she gave thanks for such a wise husband as hers. "So, what's going to be Rule Number One?"

"Don't tease people when I'm angry," was Jack's instantaneous reply. It was followed closely by Sean's "Don't run away just because somebody's mean to me." Jack had the grace to blush at that one. "Sorry!" he muttered. "No worries," assured his brother with a calming smile, which Jack thankfully returned.

"I can think of another one," Linda added. "One for us adults."

"What's that?" Jack and Sean chorused together.

"Make sure the environment is safe for you guys to be in." She pointed to the end of the rocks where the boys had climbed to. "Out there is further out than the sand. We should have realised that there might still be water there, and that the rocks might cause whirlpools. That was my mistake, and I'm sorry. Ooofff!" Linda nearly landed on her backside with the force of the bear hug she received from her sons, and she knew she was forgiven. AS she looked over, the tops of their heads, she caught sight of her beloved soulmate, and the love in her Danny's eyes was enough to allow her to begin forgiving herself, and start on the road to recovery.

**A/N: Thanks for all the support you have given me through your reviews, favourites, and follows. It is much appreciated! HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY! xx**


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